Readmissions no higher for COVID patients

A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal indicates that patients discharged from an acute care hospital following treatment for COVID-19 are no more likely to require readmission than the overall patient population.

The study, which followed COVID-positive patients admitted to the hospital in Alberta and Ontario provinces and subsequently discharged, found that 11 percent were either readmitted to an acute care hospital, or died, within 30 days of being released from their original hospitalization. The study’s authors wrote that this is roughly comparable to the readmission rate for other conditions and diseases.

The study can be accessed at https://www.cmaj.ca/content/194/19/E666

Getinge introduces ICU-capable portable ventilator

Seeking to meet the growing demand for reliable, front-line ventilators that have the flexibility of portable units, Getinge has debuted its Servo-air® ventilator.

With all the features needed for deployment in an ICU, the Servo-air® ventilator also operates off twin interchangeable battery packs, allowing for uninterrupted change of power supply when moving the patient. And with its powerful turbine, the Servo-air® ventilator can operate without access to wall gas.

To reduce costs of both staff training and unit maintenance, the Servo-air® shares both parts and a common interface with the already deployed Servo-u® ventilator.

Learn more at the Getinge web site.

Study: Steroids no help for intubated angioedema patients

A paper presented at last month’s virtual conference of the American College of Chest Physicians found that steroids do not improve outcomes among intubated patients with angioedema.

The authors of the paper looked at more than 1,200 angioedema patients who were intubated at U.S. hospitals over four years (ending this past January). After looking at length of intubation, total length of stay, time spent in the intensive care unit, and use of glucocorticoids, the authors determined that the steroid use had no impact on any of the other variables.

Angioedema is a swelling of the deeper layers of the skin, most often around the face – particularly the lips. While most cases are successfully treated with antihistamines, severe cases can become life-threatening if the swelling spreads to the tongue or throat – blocking the airways, requiring use of a ventilator.

A synopsis of the full paper can be read at journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(20)32254-6/fulltext

A wireless solution to Covid-19 treatment

Wireless ventilator alarm system provides critical support in treating Covid-19

The ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on the critical care sector of our health system. Hospital emergency room and intensive care units are being stretched to and often past their limits – and so are post-acute care facilities that take in Covid-19 patients when they are released from the hospital ICU.

In order to keep critical ER and ICU beds available, once stabilized patients are transferred from the hospital to a longterm care facility to continue to their treatment until they are ready to return home. Many of these Covid-19 patients will require a mechanical ventilator to assist with their breathing while their lungs recover from the infection.

While these longterm post-acute and transitional hospitals often have the capacity to treat dozens of patients on mechanical ventilators, monitoring ventilators for alarm alerts can be a labor-intensive process.

Those facilities that use the LinQvue REA® ventilator alarm system are able to provide a more agile response protocol that results in better patient care: LinQvue presents a centralized, real-time visual overview of all ventilator patients in a ward on one or more large, ultra-widescreen video monitors near a nurse station or other high-visibility location.

The LinQvue Respiratory Event Alert system uses its proprietary technology to prioritize patient care by presenting ventilator alarms in an ordered array – with the oldest alarms given highest priority. LinQvue REA® is a passive alarm system: Medical staff do not have to clear alarms on the system. Once a patient is cared for and the ventilator exits alert status , this is updated in real time on the LinQvue REA® system – keeping front-line healthcare staff focused on patient care, and not on updating the alarm system.

LinQvue REA® works with all brands of ventilators – the wireless in-room transmitters connect to the ventilator via a standard nurse-call cable. The transmitters are battery-powered, allowing for easy installation without competing for an electrical outlet.

Hospital and post-acute administrators can use the iQ ReportsTM software to review staff performance and compliance, viewing both specific ventilator logs and also looking at average response times, measuring trends over time, or comparing performance at different times of day.

Currently deployed in more than 100 facilities nationwide, LinQvue REA® is proven technology that helps drive improved patient outcomes in respiratory care.